Calculated Risk
by Late2SGA
Summary: The Team is sent to make first contact with a known advanced society and instead finds the world recently vacated. Solving the puzzle of the missing population leads the Team into a scramble for survival. Team fic. Shep, Rod, Tey, Ro, Lorne, Zel, Beck.
1. Chapter 1

An Author's Note follows this chapter.

Word Count, Chapter 1: 5275

Team fic. Takes place when Woolsey is in charge.

Characters: Sheppard, Rodney, Teyla, Ronon, Lorne, Zelenka, Beckett. Appearances by Woolsey and Chuck.

Disclaimer: 'Stargate Atlantis' and its characters are not mine. I would not have left them under the aegis of those whose interest lay elsewhere.

SGA ~ SGA ~ SGA

John Sheppard stood with his team atop a hill and looked out at a small, lush valley that was crowded with buildings of all sizes and shapes. At his back the hill merged with the mountainside. Down the hill a road led to the town center, a roughly oval area. From that central point paths of varying sizes branched out, ending at the surrounding steep mountains. Abundant greenery peeked out between structures that were at least several levels high.

Behind the team the Gate shut down, leaving an eerie stillness. John's Spidey Sense tingled. "Teyla?"

"As I stated at our briefing," Teyla responded from her position beside him, "I have not visited this world, but it is as my father described it ~ a large, advanced population."

"And no Wraith? These guys look more advanced than the Genii and they're not hiding it." John reached into a vest pocket for his field glasses. "Rodney?"

Rodney was tapping keys on a hand scanner. "Given the limitations under which I'm operating," and he spared a look at Teyla, "I can't state anything positively. There's no evidence of nuclear power, but there are impurities, some of which indicate a level of industrialization, although not the pollutants associated with mass use of fossil fuels, even though the air is like that of Earth, give or take a half-point of nitrogen. If I had my computer or if we'd sent a MALP... Why they'd feel threatened by either one and not by the fact that you're all armed to the teeth..."

"They understand that Gate travelers must protect themselves," Teyla explained. "What they do not want is an inspection of their society. My father and the two people I have met who have come here were politely, but firmly, turned away."

"So, where's the un-Welcome Committee?" John scanned the city with his binoculars. "Why don't they bury the Gate?"

"My father had the impression they did trade, but only with very select worlds, worlds on which he believed they may also have settled." Teyla took the glasses John handed to her.

"Colonization?" Rodney questioned. "They seem to have spread outward as far as they could and then built upward. If their population grew too large for the valley, why not just expand over the mountains? Why go to another world?"

"Sheppard," Ronon interrupted the discussion. "Listen."

"Yeah, I got that," John replied and took the binoculars back from Teyla. "Rodney, you said industrialization and impurities. There's no chimneys, no smoke. And, as Ronon pointed out, no noise. In fact, no people. I don't think there's anyone here."

Rodney pressed more buttons. "We might be too far away; I'm not picking up anything at all."

John let his gaze slide over the valley. "Let's make this fast. See what we can learn before check-in." John stepped away from the Gate platform and led the way down the hill. The road they trod upon was new, which worried him. If the entire population had fled, they'd had time to construct a road to effect an orderly mass exodus. The question was why. He had to assume the natives had a reason for leaving. His internal alarm jingled vaguely.

At the bottom of the hill the new surface gave way to older roadwork. Ronon went down on his haunches. "Sheppard."

John joined Ronon where the big man was pointing to a spot on the bricks. John slid a finger over the spot and rubbed his finger with his thumb. He looked up and grinned. "Motor oil. This trip may be worth it after all."

"They have cars?" Rodney asked and looked around.

"Of some kind," John agreed. "These paths are too wide for just foot traffic," he pointed to the main road and side streets, "and the road to the Gate is new. Looks like everybody packed up the family mini-van and left." And very recently. John watched Ronon, who was studying the ground.

"Here ~ maybe weeks. This ~ no more than a day." Ronon pointed to scratches on the road and crushed vegetation.

John set a brisk pace past empty storefronts and abandoned businesses until the team reached the city center. They had seen two cracked windows, plus an awning lay on the street. There was a layer of undisturbed dust on every surface. There was no human presence, no bird song, no bugs. The back of John's neck itched. "Rod Serling," he murmured.

"Rod-ser-ling?" Teyla questioned.

"Too hard to explain. Spread out," John ordered. "See if we can find anything, figure out why they all left."

"Hey, Sheppard, look," Rodney called as he hurried toward a kiosk, kicking up white puffs of dust. "It's a city map."

"Find the public-information center, police, city hall, someplace that might tell us what happened here." John kept his gaze on the blank windows that surrounded the oval city center. He lifted his aviators to rest on the top of his head. The day had been bright and sunny when they arrived, but dark clouds were coming over the mountains. "Looks like a storm's moving in."

Rodney responded absently, running a finger down the list of sites on the map. "Mm-hmm. I have a headache coming on."

John lifted his face. "Wind's shifted. I smell sulfur."

"You're not actually smelling sulfur. It's sulfur..." Rodney looked up and trailed off under John's stare. "...compounds."

"Okay, why am I smelling sulfur...compounds?" John realized the odor had brought his background headache to the fore. He set his sunglasses back on his nose.

"There could be mineral springs in the area, or, here's a paper mill." Rodney pointed to the list of designations on the map. "There's a power plant... Ah-ha!" McKay exclaimed. "This!"

John peered over Rodney's shoulder. " 'Science Institute'?"

"If nothing else, scientists keep records," Rodney said firmly. "Next main road on the right, then a couple kilometers toward the edge of town." He started off, pushing buttons on the scanner, without looking to see if anyone followed him.

John called to Teyla and Ronon, who were methodically peering in windows, and waved them over. "Anything?"

"No, John. There is nothing here," Teyla replied as the trio stepped quickly to catch up with their teammate.

"They cleared out. Took everything. The building's are empty ~ no furniture, no belongings," Ronon clarified.

John slowed to a stop. This wasn't about colonization, when some people left while others stayed. It wasn't about an unpredictable emergency, when everyone had little time before a hasty departure. They'd had time. They'd all left. And someone had been there only yesterday, had stayed until the last minute after everyone else had left... "You two feelin' what I'm feelin'?"

"I, too, am uneasy, John, but if these people have a way to evade the Wraith, we must try to find it," Teyla entreated.

John received an agreeing nod from Ronon. "Okay, we see what McKay can find and then we hightail it outta here."

"Sheppard!" Rodney shouted. "Come here!"

John tensed and raced around the corner with Teyla and Ronon. Rodney stood in the middle of the road, holding onto a dilapidated contraption that was identifiable as a motorbike.

"Look at this!" Rodney was breathless, grinning. "It uses compressed gas. And look at these tires!"

John took hold of the handle bars and slid his palm over the smooth metal. The tires were not any material he knew. He studied the bent frame and crunched front wheel, probably the result of an accident. If the owner had simply left the bike in the road, he must've been in a helluva hurry. John knelt down to examine the engine. "Fuel cell." He looked up and Rodney nodded. John thumbed a safety valve on the canister to bleed off some gas and sniffed. "No odor, but I'm thinkin' methane?"

"Probably, without mercaptans," Rodney agreed. "Not good practice ~ no odor to detect leaks ~ but do you realize what this means?" he asked excitedly. "They must have a substance for adsorption inside the canister to mitigate the danger of explosion! And there's only one tank, so no pure oxygen, yet there's no nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere, which means they've developed the perfect catalytic converter or they've found a way to block the nitrogen in the air from the reaction!" He squatted next to John. "You said people took their mini-vans. Maybe larger vehicles as well. To have it on a vehicle like this," he rushed on, "it's common usage! They've made the technology safe, clean and cheap! Imagine what this'll do for Earth!"

John stood up. "We'll grab the bike on the way back."

McKay began to protest, explaining the true significance and scientific importance and global impact of such technology and why it was necessary to bring teams to scour the city for other items of significance that would also need careful study-

"Rodney, these people left. _All_ of them. As recently as yesterday. Don't you think that's significant?"

McKay's eyes widened and John could see the conflict between the lust for knowledge and self-preservation.

SGA ~ SGA ~ SGA

The Science Institute was a large building, square, imposing, and taller than most structures around it. The team made the distance quickly, despite McKay's squawking about the pace.

John led the way into the standard, no-frills building. There was a long, wide hallway and many doors on both sides. John reached for a light switch. "Lights go on, but nobody's home."

Rodney hurried to the building directory. "Business offices, Department of- Research labs! Look at all this! This is a gold mine! It'll take us days to go through all these rooms!"

"We don't have days, McKay. Pick one!" John ordered.

"Uh, here. This one. Room one-oh-seven."

The group moved down the hall. Rodney opened the door and stopped. John shouldered his way in and Ronon and Teyla entered the room behind him. Nothing. Like the businesses and shops around the town center, everything had been removed.

"If they don't want anyone peering into their culture, they've done a good job of cleaning up after themselves," John commented. "Ronon, Teyla. Check out the rest of this level."

John left Rodney standing in the doorway while he walked slowly around the empty space. He saw what were likely electrical outlets and odd ports, possibly for specialized equipment. Shelving had been dismantled, draperies removed from windows. The people had taken the time to pack up everything ~ to be able to reuse it after the move or to preserve their anonymity?

"John!" John rushed into the hallway in answer to Teyla's hail. "This one. There are items in here," she called.

Ronon was still checking the floor when John and Rodney entered the room where Teyla held the door open. The space was large and there was evidence that long benches and apparently file cabinets had been present, and heavy items John guessed were probably equipment. There were signs of more missing shelves, and bare windows. Unlike what they had seen before, whoever had occupied the space had left in a hurry. A single desk remained, its drawers open, empty but for pencils and a few small office items. A multitude of scattered papers lay on the floor and scratches in the tile indicated something large had been dragged. Tools needed for dismantling had been left behind.

" 'Last one out, turn off the lights.' At least he remembered to do that," John said quietly.

Rodney was already kneeling on the floor, riffling the papers.

"Rodney, see if you can learn anything." John made a general gesture. "We'll check out the building." John followed his teammates into the hall and wasn't even sure McKay had heard him.

SGA ~ SGA ~ SGA

A search of the next level yielded the same results ~ everything had been removed. The third and fourth floors were also emptied. On each level they found restrooms and maintenance closets and spaces of varying sizes, apparently offices and laboratories.

They were halfway through their recon of the fifth floor when the ground trembled. John grabbed a door frame and glanced down the hall, where Teyla and Ronon were steadying themselves. He tapped his earbud. "Rodney, what just happened?"

"Sheppard! Get back here!"

John waved his teammates toward the stairs. "C'mon!" He took the stairs, two at a time, following the others. At the bottom of the stairwell Ronon held the door open and John ran, leading the group down the hall to where they'd left McKay.

Rodney was leaning over the desktop of neatly stacked papers. "We're about to become permanent fixtures," he gritted.

"What's the problem?" John asked, lowering his P-90.

Rodney straightened to face his team. "This," and he spread his arms to take in the room, "contained a fairly sophisticated monitoring system. These people really do know what they're doing. They've been monitoring the mountains in the region."

John stepped forward to examine some pages Rodney had been perusing ~ sheets of numbers. "The interval is decreasing while the amplitude is increasing. What am I looking at?"

Rodney slid the pages from John's view and piled them together. "These figures," and he held up a stack, "are the record of seismic occurrences in the valley."

"They left because of earthquakes?" John asked.

As if to underscore the discussion the ground swayed beneath them, and they all spread their arms and legs to brace themselves while a pencil rolled off the desktop and fell to the floor.

"Not exactly. The records go back months. Violent activity probably started less than a day ago, which is when whoever remained finally left. These people have some kind of modeling program that not only predicted the period of calm, but the latest tremors, and it's predicting more. A lot more. Starting now. We, lucky us, arrived in the period of inactivity, the calm before the storm, the respite from the approaching apocalypse, the- "

"I get it, Rodney. We better hoof it to the Gate."

"No, you don't get it!" Rodney crossed his arms over his chest. "Remember the power plant? This world runs on natural gas and when the tremors first started, fissures opened up. Gas has been diffusing into the area from an underground field!"

"You know methane isn't toxic and it's lighter than air, so let's just leave before the 'seismic occurrences' get worse."

Rodney looked both smug and frantic. "It's worse!" He lifted another stack of papers. "These people probably put their evacuation plan into effect long before the methane leaks caused health hazards. This building, like other large office structures, has an environmental system, but outside? And in private homes? It's why we had headaches on the way here; the air's a bit 'thin'."

"So thin we can't make it to the Gate?" John was growing impatient. "We _did_ come _from_ the Gate, Rodney."

"I'm not finished." McKay hefted the papers again and began his explanation in tense, clipped words. "This is a measure of the increasing impurities in the air. For example, the sulfur you detected. In addition to the methane, for weeks gases and ash ~ the white dust everywhere ~ have been spewing into the air. And there's more." He held up another stack of papers. "This is a record of recent increases in water temperatures."

"...Magma. Volcano?" John asked incredulously.

"Look!" Rodney led the team to the window, where they could see the day had become dull and overcast. Darker clouds were roiling over the mountain ridge. "Your storm, although not the kind you were expecting. The tremors are not about tectonics, it's because something in the mountains is about to boil over! The clouds this morning were from an eruption before we arrived. Another layer of ash is falling. The dark clouds are from the eruption we just felt. The ash plumes are getting bigger."

"You're telling me the air quality has worsened so much since we arrived that we can't make it back," John clarified.

"I don't know about you, but I can't hold my breath for miles and there is no way we can get the whole way to the stargate if we intend to breathe!" Rodney answered angrily. "In the meantime, we're in a box created by mountain walls, the clouds are acting like a lid, and the methane is not really escaping and oh, look," and he leaned down slightly and pointed to a spot about halfway up the mountain, "here comes the rest of the Quartet of Death, the flame to ignite this bomb we're sitting on!"

John looked where Rodney gestured and saw the smoke and flames of a forest fire burning on the side of the mountain. He stared carefully and realized he was watching a slowly widening crack from which lava was emerging. "Doesn't the methane concentration need to be over five percent to be combustible?"

"Every house has a gas line, every street has micro-fissures," Rodney responded impatiently. "Imagine a gas leak in every house on a block! This entire valley sits on a huge field of natural gas, which is already escaping, and will continue to escape as tremors open more fissures! All that's needed is a match! Take your pick- " he finished sarcastically, enumerating each choice with his fingers, "suffocated by unbreathable air, crushed in a quake, buried in lava, or incinerated in a gas explosion."

"This mission was to be a meet-and-greet, Rodney," John said calmly, "and with people known to be un-accommodating. That's why the check-in period is so short. When we don't dial in, Woolsey will dial out and we'll request a pick-up."

"Won't work," Rodney contradicted. "We won't be able to hear Atlantis over the interference." He spun a finger. "The ash."

John looked around, considering his options. Everything had been removed; there was nothing in the entire city to jerry-rig an air tank or mask, filter, gas scrubber or something to allow them to reach the Gate in order to leave. And they were running out of time to make needed preparations to stay.

"Ronon, you and I will check out the lower levels, find a place we can ride this out until Atlantis sends a rescue." John watched Rodney's mouth fall open in disbelief.

"Do you think hiding under the bed will help? Why don't we just stick our heads in the sand!?" McKay ranted.

John looked steadily at Teyla. "Teyla, help him with these papers. See if there's anything in the data." Teyla nodded, understanding her true purpose.

"Right," Rodney said pithily. "I'll scan the literature while you scout locations where we can all be entombed together."

John closed the door on McKay's muttering and Ronon assured him, "Teyla will keep him focused."

SGA ~ SGA ~ SGA

The next tremor occurred when John and Ronon were in the first stairwell. John had a grip on the banister using both hands and he still ended up partially sitting on a step. Ronon managed to stay on his feet by stretching his arms the width of the stairs and placing his palms flat against both walls. The light in the stairwell flickered and John thought he heard breaking glass.

The first level underground housed more empty rooms with more signs of missing furniture and removed equipment. John led the way down to the next level and immediately began opening the doors on his side of the hall. He found a maintenance closet with building supplies that appeared to have been unsettled by the tremors or someone had pawed through them.

John was midway along the corridor when he found what he wanted. "Ronon!" The big man turned just as a tremor hit. John grabbed the door frame and Ronon stumbled to his knees.

John keyed his radio and gestured at Ronon while he spoke. "Teyla, we've solved the problem. A room. Bottom level. Gather what you can and get yourself and McKay down here. Now!"

"We are coming, John."

John looked at Ronon, who had already started working. He grinned and held the door open. "I'd help, but..."

Minutes later John heard the thump of footsteps on the stairs and the stairwell door opened just as a larger tremor rumbled. Teyla grabbed McKay's vest loop and the doorknob to keep them both from falling. She pulled the door closed behind them and kept a grip on Rodney's arm to steady him.

John stood in the hallway as Ronon methodically carried boxes into the hall, stacked them, then disappeared to return with more. Rodney was puffing when he arrived, but he found breath enough when he saw how John had 'solved the problem'.

"I thought you said you'd found a room! This isn't a room! It's a closet! There's not enough space for all of us!"

"Ronon's making more space, Rodney." John gestured at Ronon, who still carried boxes from the room into the hall.

"And how do you expect to breathe? This is a fireproof file-storage room! It's a vault! Air can't get in!"

"Do you really want to breathe outside air?"

"That's not the point! The average person needs- "

"Will Atlantis be able to find us in such a room?" Teyla asked. "We are already underground and the room is metal."

"That's not the problem." Rodney looked at her in disgust. "Jumper sensors aren't like Superman. The real problem is the sensors will be screwed up by the atmospheric conditions and they'll have to be right on top of us before they can read our life signs and I doubt our transmitters will be picked up at all and we'll probably be dead long before that because there's not enough air in there! Do you know how much oxygen an average person requires? And what about C-Oh-two buildup? Even if- "

A massive quake accompanying a boom sent them all stumbling and brought John to his knees. Ceiling tiles rained down, a light fixture fell and the tallest stack of boxes teetered and finally toppled, striking John as he was gathering his feet to rise.

"Rodney! Just get in the damned room!" John regained his feet and lifted a hand to wipe a trickle of blood at his temple.

Ronon pushed another set of boxes into the hall and Teyla pushed Rodney into the room. John staggered through the door with Ronon's help and then Ronon pulled the door closed.

Their sanctuary shuddered and rolled under an avalanche of crashing that sounded as if the world had collapsed around them. The light went out, something hit the door...and all was still.

"We are so screwed..."

A click preceded illumination by John's P-90 light. "We don't leave our people behind, Rodney. Relax and conserve oxygen." John wiped his temple with his wrist.

"I don't think you understand how little oxygen is in here for four people and how long it will take Atlantis to find us in this atmospheric soup, assuming they send a rescue team when- "

"I've done the math, Rodney," John drawled tiredly.

Rodney was ramping up to Full-Panic Mode. John looked at Ronon and nodded, then he looked at Teyla.

SGA ~ SGA ~ SGA

Sheppard's team had missed the scheduled check-in. Richard Woolsey, looking down at the Gate from the Ops balcony, fidgeted nervously and checked his watch ~ ten minutes. In the Control Room Evan Lorne stood still, silently waiting and counting. Ten minutes and Chuck dialed the Gate.

"Atlantis to Colonel Sheppard," Woolsey hailed. "...Colonel Sheppard, please respond..." He turned to Chuck. "What is that hissing? It wasn't there when they first arrived."

"It's static." Lorne looked at Chuck. "Send a MALP."

SGA ~ SGA ~ SGA

John checked the luminous display on his watch and looked around the dim confines. He was tired, his chest hurt, he had a headache and it was hard to breathe. Rodney was slumped in a corner, dead to the world. Ronon's breathing was shallow and even. Beside him Teyla's slow breaths were steady. John rechecked his watch. Just a few more minutes.

SGA ~ SGA ~ SGA

"Major Lorne..."

"No time, Doc, we're in a hurry." Lorne spoke while he manhandled Radek Zelenka into a tac vest in the armory.

"But I'm not really certain why I must go." The last word was muffled as Lorne placed an oxygen mask on Zelenka's face.

"You 'must go' because the MALP indicates probable volcanic activity since Colonel Sheppard's team arrived on the planet. And if a volcano has erupted, it has not only made the air less than ideal to breathe, it's going to screw up the sensors. So, you 'must go' to boost, hijack, jerry-rig or magick a way to locate our people. Got it?" Lorne didn't wait for an answer. He grabbed his P-90 and maneuvered Zelenka ahead of himself.

Followed by his team Lorne hurried through Lantean corridors, pushing the Czech before him. Beckett's med team joined them just as they reached the Jumper Bay. Lorne released Zelenka to rush into the cockpit. He contacted Ops while powering up the drive pods and lowered the Jumper into the Gate Room. A moment later they sped through the waiting wormhole.

"Well, something certainly happened here," Lorne observed as he looked out the window into approaching nightfall.

"Looks almost like snow," Beckett added from behind him.

"It is ash," Zelenka explained from his position in the co-pilot seat. He had removed the oxygen mask as soon as he was seated. He tapped a console key. "It is actually warm outside and the air is not good. Too much would be fatal. The ash cloud is causing the darkness. It is still only early afternoon."

"Colonel Sheppard, this is Major Lorne. Do you read?" The major waited, then turned to Zelenka. "Where to, Doc?"

"I cannot be certain, but there is something. Perhaps six or more kilometers," and he pointed through the Jumper window.

The little ship sailed slowly over the city, roughly following the road that led from the Gate, then banked to the right.

"It is strange to see motorcycle," Zelenka commented.

"The colonel always wanted to meet anyone in Pegasus who had invented the car," Lorne smiled dryly. "Anything, Doc?"

Zelenka tapped more keys, muttered in Czech and shook his head. "It is the sensors. Too much interference. Everything is- "

"Oh, my Lord. D'ye see that?" Beckett asked in wonder.

Zelenka pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Lava flow. And seismic activity. The region is unstable and very dangerous."

"Aye, I can believe that."

"Major Lorne, there," Zelenka pointed. "The tall building with the partial roof collapse. I have life signs." He picked up a small hand scanner and pressed several buttons.

Lorne set the Jumper down near the building's main entrance. "Masks on, everybody. Okay, Doc, where're we going?"

SGA ~ SGA ~ SGA

John shook his head groggily and widened his eyes to stay awake. He had nausea and it was so hard to breathe. He looked at his watch and pulled out his sidearm. It was time.

SGA ~ SGA ~ SGA

"Did you hear that? Keep going," Lorne ordered. His men were crawling over ceiling tiles and boxes while the rest of the rescue team waited down the hall. One of the men shook his head at his team leader. Lorne looked at Zelenka. "You sure, Doc?"

"Yes, they are here." Zelenka tapped more keys. "Readings are unclear... This room," he pointed. "We must hurry!"

Once the debris surrounding the vault was removed, the door was easily opened. The medical team rushed in to settle oxygen masks on the unconscious group. Ronon and Teyla were revived and were able to walk to the Jumper, needing some assistance to manage the rubble in the hall and stairs, and to maintain balance during the increasing tremor activity. The colonel and Rodney remained unconscious during the transfer to the Jumper.

During their time inside the building to effect the rescue the sky had darkened into starless night. Lorne observed the bright orange fingers and streaks of black sliding down the mountainside. "Looks like a night for a giant weenie roast," he remarked as they flew back over the city. "Dial the Gate."

Zelenka dialed Atlantis. "More likely it will roast the town."

"Major Lorne!" Teyla called from the Jumper rear compartment. "Rodney said the lava would cause an explosion."

Lorne turned to Zelenka, who tapped a few buttons, then looked wide-eyed back at the major.

"We are in massive methane cloud. This is very dangerous!"

"We don't have time to dial another address." Lorne urged his ship to go faster and opened a channel. "Atlantis! We're coming in hot! Be prepared to raise the shield immediately!"

Just as the Jumper shot into the wormhole Lorne glanced at the HUD ~ the valley was consumed in a ball of fire.

SGA ~ SGA ~ SGA

"And I'm not going to forget it!"

John came to, suddenly, in the midst of an argument. In the infirmary; he recognized the beeps of monitors and the hiss of Rodney letting off a full head of steam. He had a headache and it hurt to breathe. He opened his eyes and looked around.

"And how're ye feeling, Colonel?" Beckett came over to check monitor leads. His question interrupted the argument.

John looked at Teyla, who sat on his left, then looked at Rodney sitting next to her, and then at Ronon, who had his feet on the end of the bed. "Why am I the only one in bed?"

"They only had to deal with hypoxia, son. Ye're recovering from hypoxia, concussion, cracked ribs and a bruised kidney."

"That's doctor-speak for 'you missed a day'," Rodney interpreted as he closed his laptop on his knees. "The rest of us were set free this morning. Jennifer said you had a restless night."

"I'm fine. Bit of a headache." John rubbed fingers across his forehead. "What about the planet? Where'd the people go? How could a world so advanced escape notice of the Wraith?"

"They can't be that advanced if they're still using paper." Rodney cleared his throat when John raised an eyebrow. "Ahem, yes. Unfortunately there's nothing in any of the papers to tell us who they are or where they went. No mention of the Wraith, or anything about their technology, either." McKay wasn't about to let it go. "This needs to be a high priority. We look for someone who has visited that world recently or who has seen one of their colonies ~ a world where there are cars. Those people took everything so they could rebuild. They're out there, using the same technology." He leaned forward. "Think about it: the power plant wasn't operating, yet there was electricity. We have to find them!"

"Talk to Woolsey, but if those guys can hide from the Wraith, I don't think we're going to find them." John yawned. "So, what happened down there? Any way we can go back?"

Rodney snorted and stretched to set the laptop on the bed. "The valley is toast ~ the lava ignited the methane, plus they were essentially in a bowl, so lava will probably cover what's left of the town and maybe even reach the Gate. Lorne showed up and heard you tapping and Carson estimates we had, oh, at least three minutes befor- " He stopped mid-sentence, glared at Ronon and pointed a finger. "He stunned me!"

John closed his eyes. "We needed to conserve oxygen, Rodney. Can you depress your breathing by meditation, like Teyla?"

"No..." McKay's tone was hesitant.

"Or fall asleep at will, like a Runner?"

"Uh..."

John opened his eyes. "Or take seven-minute catnaps?"

"Seven-min- You can't do th- Really? Well, um, still, it wasn't his call. He shouldn't have taken it upon himself to- "

"He didn't. I told you- _I_ did the math, Rodney." *~*

Author's Note: I wrote this to give a glimpse of Sheppard's mathematical facility (also to show that he is not a scientific ignoramus), ability that was given to him in the beginning and then taken away in the latter years of the series. Math and science are not a mystery to a pilot, particularly not a helicopter pilot.

I miss the whole-cast dynamic that was lost with Weir's departure, but I like the 'Team feeling' in later seasons, which is more casual. In this case, on a first-contact mission of grave importance, I think Weir would have been on the planet with the team, which wouldn't suit my story. Richard Woolsey, I don't believe, has quite the same level of 'public ease' and social skills as Elizabeth Weir, so I left him behind in the city...

There is another tag scene (Chapter Two). This is a note to tell people to read no more if they are not John-and-Teyla fans. The story can end here and it is complete as a suspenseful adventure/ drama. Stop here, if you do not want to read ship stuff.

Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: A year ago I wrote a Sheyla story as a gift for a friend. Now, a year later, as another gift, I had to find a way to make this into a Sheyla story when it wasn't designed that way. So...

This is THE SAME ENDING with a very slight SHEYLA TWIST. By adding a few words to the scene I can more finely specify the time ~ the story takes place in early S7, when John & Teyla are a new couple and Torren is barely two years old. In the timeline of my stories, 'Hurdles' is before this, then 'All In A Day' and 'Misdirection' take place after this adventure.

Word Count: 519

An Author's Note follows this chapter.

SGA ~ SGA ~ SGA

"And I'm not going to forget it!"

John came to, suddenly, in the midst of an argument. In the infirmary; he recognized the beeps of monitors and the hiss of Rodney letting off a full head of steam. He had a headache and it hurt to breathe. He opened his eyes and looked around.

"And how're ye feeling, Colonel?" Beckett came over to check monitor leads. His question interrupted the argument.

"Pah!" Torren shouted from his place on Teyla's lap.

"Hey, Pahdner. How's my best boy?" John held his hand out to Teyla, who sat on his left, then looked at Rodney sitting next to her, and then at Ronon, who had his feet on the end of the bed. "Why am I the only one in bed?"

"They only had to deal with hypoxia, son. Ye're recovering from hypoxia, concussion, cracked ribs and a bruised kidney."

"That's doctor-speak for 'you missed a day'," Rodney interpreted as he closed his laptop on his knees. "The rest of us were set free this morning. Jennifer said you had a restless night."

"I'm fine. Bit of a headache." John released Teyla's hand to pat TJ's fingers. "What about the planet? Where'd the people go? How could a world so advanced escape notice of the Wraith?"

"They can't be that advanced if they're still using paper." Rodney cleared his throat when John raised an eyebrow. "Ahem, yes. Unfortunately there's nothing in any of the papers to tell us who they are or where they went. No mention of the Wraith, or anything about their technology, either." McKay wasn't about to let it go. "This needs to be a high priority. We look for someone who has visited that world recently or who has seen one of their colonies ~ a world where there are cars. Those people took everything so they could rebuild. They're out there, using the same technology." He leaned forward. "Think about it: the power plant wasn't operating, yet there was electricity. We have to find them!"

"Talk to Woolsey, but if those guys can hide from the Wraith, I don't think we're going to find them." John yawned. "So, what happened down there? Any way we can go back?"

Rodney snorted and stretched to set the laptop on the bed. "The valley is toast ~ the lava ignited the methane, plus they were essentially in a bowl, so lava will probably cover what's left of the town and maybe even reach the Gate. Lorne showed up and heard you tapping and Carson estimates we had, oh, at least three minutes befor- " He stopped mid-sentence, glared at Ronon and pointed a finger. "He stunned me!"

John closed his eyes. "We needed to conserve oxygen, Rodney. Can you depress your breathing by meditation, like Teyla?"

"No..." McKay's tone was hesitant.

"Or fall asleep at will, like a Runner?"

"Uh..."

John opened his eyes. "Or take seven-minute catnaps?"

"Seven-min- You can't do th- Really? Well, um, still, it wasn't his call. He shouldn't have taken it upon himself to- "

"He didn't. I told you- _I_ did the math, Rodney." *~*

Author's Note: By making a Sheyla ending, certain gestures in the main body of the story take on a different light - Teyla being beside John in the vault, for example. For people who don't believe, then the story is what it is and there is no underlying meaning. For those who do believe, small gestures can have great import.

Thanks for reading.


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